


Howl

by GoringWriting



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alpha/Beta, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Bisexual Qrow Branwen, F/F, F/M, M/M, Omega Verse, Oscar Pine Needs a Hug, Pack Dynamics, Protective Qrow Branwen, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:08:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22752280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoringWriting/pseuds/GoringWriting
Summary: While on the run from Salem's lot team RWBYJNORQ seek help from the pack leader of Atlas. His price? An omega to marry one Alpha to bind loyalties to the territory. Will Qrow end up running from the deal he made or will he find a mate in all of this?Disclaimer: I own no characters, I own nothing, this is all the creation of RoosterTeeth.On temporary hiatus for now. However an amazing writer has picked up where I left off so please check it out 😊https://archiveofourown.org/works/25771138
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Elm Ederne/Vine Zeki, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 25
Kudos: 159





	1. Chapter 1

Qrow groans at the pain in his side. That fight against Cordovin has hurt him more than he had thought and now they are on their way into the territory of one of the most physically dominant packs to grace Remnant. With nothing to offer them should they make the demand. 

Qrow's stomach twists as there is only one roll left for them to eat and himself and Oscar left to feed. 

"You take it kid," he says to the younger Omega. 

"A...are you sure? We can share it," he says and Qrow ruffles his hair and forces a smile." 

"No kid, you keep it. I'm good," Qrow lies, his stomach is clenching and he can feel the pangs in it, but he can go a few more days.

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, eat. You kids are going to need your strength. Your Auras are low and we don't know how the local pack is gonna react to our being here." Qrow says hand pressing against the wound on his side. 

"They wouldn't attack us would they?" Ruby asks and Qrow can't answer it would ruin her optimism, he can’t do that to her, not yet.

“We’re here,” Maria says, dropping them outside of the pack’s territory. She had refused to take them any further than the border no matter how much Ruby had pleaded their case.

“Okay those with the most aura left split yourselves between the front and the back. Those of you with little or no aura go to the middle and keep an eye out,” Qrow says and he takes to the air to keep an eye out for danger. He can’t let anything happen to the kids. He’d never forgive himself.

They make it further than he thought they would before they come across a female alpha on patrol of the lands. She stops in front of them for a moment before her shock turns to suspicion.

“What are you kids doing out here?” She demands and Qrow stays up in the air in case he needs to launch a surprise attack. He doesn’t want to have to fight a fully fledged pack but he will to protect these kids.

“We’re not kids,” Yang says. Technically most of them are no longer pups. Just Ruby and Oscar are pups anymore. 

“What are you doing out here? These lands belong to the Atlas Pack,” she says hefting her weapon and the kids step back.

“We’re on the run from Salem’s pack. They wish to capture or kill various members of our pack. We are seeking sanctuary or permission to pass through safely. We don’t want any trouble,” Oscar says holding his hands up and keeping his head bowed. They don’t know enough about Atlas and their opinions on Omegas so usually it’s a safe bet to behave respectfully until they know better. 

“Put your weapons on the ground and when my packmates arrive we will bring you to our Lead Alpha. He will hear your case,” she says pulling away and texting something into her scroll and he swoops down to the tree above her head to listen in.

“General Ironwood, Elm here. I was on my assigned route and came across a pack in the woods near the border. They say they are seeking sanctuary or safe passage, whichever you are willing to grant,” She says and listens in on her comm.

“I don’t think they are much of a threat sir, at least not to us. There are two pups and the remainder are barely out of puppyhood and there are mostly betas. I counted four. Two alphas and two omegas that I could see,” He wishes he could know that General Ironwood was saying but he can’t get close enough without her being suspicious and smelling him. 

“They don’t look like they have much in the way of gifts for our protection Sir,” she says and Qrow’s stomach clenches. Either they are going to get kicked to the curb now or they’re going to ask for something unfortunate from them. 

“The two omegas are pups,” she says and Qrow doesn’t need to hear to know what was likely said. He winces at the pain in his side. He’s really going to need medical attention soon if he has to fight anymore today. 

“Yes Sir, I will wait for Vine and Marrow to arrive,” she says going back over to the kids and Qrow lands in a nearby tree to watch. The kids have put their weapons on the ground and Qrow is tense as one young male alpha and one male beta arrives. 

“Hello, I am Vine, you met my mate Elm, and this is Marrow,” the beta says and the two alphas wave.

“Who is your lead Alpha?” Elm asks.

“We don’t have one. Jaune and Ruby lead us,” Ren says.

“A beta and an omega?” Elm asks surprised but not offended, that’s a good sign, Qrow hopes. 

“Team leaders,” Ruby says spine straight and Qrow beams, she has come a long way since she was his student at Signal. He’s proud of her and he knows Tai is as well and he knows Summer would be as well.

“Impressive, can I have your names and secondary gender? So we know how to address you,” Elm says.

“Ruby, omega.”

“Yang, Alpha.”

“Jaune, beta.”

“Weiss, beta.”

“Blake, beta.”

“Nora, alpha.”

“Ren, beta.”

“Oscar, omega.”

“Okay, Vine you handle their weapons. Marrow, bring up the rear of the group. Do any of you still have Aura?”

“Me, Ruby, Ren, and Jaune have a little bit left,” Yang says.

“Okay you kids with me then,” Elm says and they lead the front. It’s an ingenious design if Qrow says so himself. With Marrow in the back he can see what each of them is doing under the guise of keeping an eye on their six. He must have some semblance that allows him to take multiple targets at once. Vine is probably the same.

Qrow sticks with them, gliding through the forest on their left. The branches are weighed down by heavy snow and he has to be careful to not alert them that he is more than a regular bird. 

“Wait here the remaining members of my pack will be meeting us here. They were further away. Once they get here we’ll bring you to our Lead Alpha,” Elm says and Qrow watches as two more people come from the woods. One is a shorter beta woman and the other is an Alpha, with no sleeves.

“Elm is this them?” The Alpha asks and Qrow circles over their head to get a look at their weapons, see if he can glean anything from that. As he passes over the pain in his side flares up and he feels himself falling through the air towards the ground. 

He can feel his transformation shaking and halfway down he feels himself turn back into a human in time to hit the ground and feel his aura break completely and he lays there in the snow gritting his teeth against the pain.

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby says kneeling beside him. His aura had been the only thing keeping his wound from bleeding and now he can feel it staining his clothes and the snow beneath it.

“What is going on here?” Elm demands and Qrow sits up with a groan and pushes Ruby behind him away from the other pack. 

“I told them not to tell you. We didn’t know how you would treat us and they are kids. We needed a back up plan, you know how hard it can be for omegas,” Qrow says. Vine’s expression doesn’t change and neither does Marrow’s. The female beta and Elm look angry. Qrow feels Ruby press close to his back. 

“Makes sense,” the male alpha says and they all look at him because what? Them lying makes sense? How, to their view yeah it makes sense to themselves but why would it make sense to the people they were lying to?

“What?” Elm asks.

“Think about it. Atlas is known as one of the most powerful packs societies in Remnant. We are know for good fighters and unfortunately for aggression. Elm you said it yourself these guys are barely out of puppyhood and injured. We would have done the same,” He says and helps Qrow to his feet, “we won’t mention this to the Lead Alpha,” he adds looking at each member of his pack and Qrow can tell that this is their alpha.

“Thanks,” Qrow says and grunts, his hand going to his wound. He can see Jaune reaching out a hand to him but Qrow shakes his head. “Keep your aura kid, you need it more than me.”

“But…” Jaune says.

“General Ironwood, one of the people in the pack we found is injured with no aura. Permission to take him to medical?” the male alpha says listening to the other person.

“Elm you take them to see the General. I’ll take him to see the doctor,” the alpha says as they all walk inside.

“Perhaps we should disarm him first?” Vine asks and Qrow’s hand shoots back to grab the handle of Harbinger.

“Relax. We aren’t going to attack or kill. The three options would be, we offer sanctuary, we escort you to the border, or we put you all in the dungeon. All of which would get you something you want,” the Alpha says.

“Kid, what do you think?” Qrow asks and Ruby stares at the male.

“We need to show we are willing to trust if we expect trust in return,” Ruby says and Qrow hands over his weapon before following the man down a different towards a different hall. Qrow casts one last look at the kids and then gives his attention to the alpha in front of him. Who is now pausing and sniffing the air.

“You’re an omega!” He says whirling around and Qrow immediately steps back to give himself room to maneuver. 

“Try anything and I will rip your throat out,” Qrow says and the alpha blinks. 

“Sorry, Alpha brain said hurt omega. I’m Clover by the way,” Clover says and Qrow watches him as they make their way down the hall.

“Qrow,” he says.

“We won’t hurt your pack. Atlas is known for being aggressive but we aren’t about to attack a pack of kids,” Clover says.

“Funny because that’s what happened in Argus,” Qrow mutters. 

“Wait, you are the guys who beat Cordovin?” Clover asks and Qrow tenses. 

“No,” Qrow says.

“Thank you! It gave James a reason to finally transfer her as far as humanly possible. She was annoying,” he says.

“I will neither confirm nor deny it,” Qrow says hopping onto the examination table as the doctor comes in. 

“It’s not life threatening. A few stitches and a bandage should be enough,” he says and Qrow backs up from his hands.

“What is this gonna cost me?” Qrow asks eyeing both men suspiciously.

“Nothing, I asked permission. Therefore it was a granted request to a packmate,” Clover says as the doctor starts stitching the wound before Qrow can ask anymore questions.

“No combat for a few days till your aura catches up to your body,” the doctor says.

“May not have a choice Doc, we may have to fight our way through the northern territory outside your borders as early as today,” Qrow says wincing and sitting up and getting off the bed.

“Your aura is down,” he says.

“So?” Qrow asks then looks at Clover, “I think I should join back up with the kids now.”

“Of course, follow me,” Clover says and Qrow follows him though the pale bluish white walls of their den. 

“So, is this lead Alpha part of your pack or…?” Qrow asks, curiosity and a need to recon urging him. 

“How much about Atlas do you know?” Clover asks.

“I know it’s made of multiple interwoven packs,” Qrow says.

“James is Lead Alpha, but each individual pack alpha reports to him and will follow his orders,” Clover says. 

“So, in your opinion what are our chances?” Qrow says.

“Prison, zero percent. Escort is eighty. Sanctuary probably twenty. Sorry, James is terrified of Salem and he really doesn’t want to piss her off. If she is after you guys he is going to want you out of the territory as soon as possible. I can’t tell you if he would give you time to rebuild your aura or not.”

“It’s better than we expected. You know how omegas are treated in a lot of places,” Qrow says.

“Yeah…” Clover says and they come to an office where they find the kids facing a man and the pack from earlier Ruby and Oscar behind their friends while the others are practically snarling.

“What is happening?” Clover says looking confused.

“Sanctuary for an omega. Apparently Atlas lacks strong omegas that can fight. He’s willing to add our pack to Atlas’ number. If one of our omegas agrees to marry an alpha of his choosing when they are of age,” Yang says hair starting to glow and he can see Marrow ready to raise a hand.

“Was that our only option?” Qrow asks.

“It was that or be returned to Argus,” Yang says.

“It is a fair deal,” the man, who must be James Ironwood, if Qrow is guessing right, says.

“Did he say which omega?” Qrow asks. They can’t go back. Salem’s forces had been lurking outside the town and Cordovin vowed to hand them over to them if she ever saw them again. They only beat her because she had been cocky and fought them by herself. This time she’ll bring reinforcements.

They can’t go back. 

“No, he said any of our omegas can do it, or we can wait and have it be whoever becomes an adult first,” Yang says.

“So what I’m hearing is, either way it’s gonna be me?” Qrow asks.

“What?” James says.

“What?” Clover says.

“Well I’m not about to enter a kid into an arranged marriage. That’s creepy, and as an adult I would be the first one of three omegas to become one. Erego it’s me,” Qrow says.

“I wasn’t expecting to have to pick so soon,” Ironwood says and Qrow crosses his arms.

“Too bad, no random Alpha is getting their hands on Ruby or Oscar. It would be over my dead body,” Qrow says. 

“Fine, to make this fair I will put their names into a random draw, any gender preference?” Ironwood says and sets slips of paper into a hat.

“No,” Qrow says.

“Most of the alphas here are relatively decent,” Clovr says.

“Yeah, I believe that,” Qrow sighs.

“I’m sure your alpha will be good,” Clover says as Ironwood pulls out the paper 

“Clover Ebi,” Ironwood says.

Well damn.


	2. Chapter 2

“Me?”

“Him?” Qrow says and looks over at Clover. He’s not bad looking, which will is a perl at least.

“Yes, I think this will be a strong match. Miss Rose, Mr. Arc you and your teams can stay in the dorms. Mr…?”

“Branwen,” Qrow says.

“Mr. Branwen will go with the Ace Ops Pack to their den so he can bond with his new pack. Now, I am going to give you back your weapons. Once you have recovered we can discuss your position in this societal pack,” Ironwood says and Vine gives them their weapons. Qrow watches his new pack closely before turning his back on Clover and going over to Ruby and Yang.

“You two look out for each other and your friends. I don’t want to hear about any monkey business. Okay?" Qrow says. Tai would kill him if he let anything bad happen to the girls.

"I fear they may have very poor opinions on how omegas are treated in Atlas," he hears Vine murmur.

"Well, we did kinda just treat omegas as bargaining chips. That probably didn't help our case," Marrow says.

"It's not like we can just let them stay without some kind of immediate trade," Elm says. 

“We could have traded for labor or fighters or something else like that. It didn’t have to be an omega,” Marrow says. Qrow likes this kid. Something tells him he is going to be his favorite.

“They could have agreed to it and then split when they got what they wanted. It’s happened before,” a voice that must belong to the other beta, the woman, says.

“They are kids Harriet,” Marrow says.

“Atlas can’t afford anymore hits to it’s reputation. People are losing their faith in us,” Harriet says. 

“Well when they hear about this people won’t be happy either,” Marrow says.

“Uncle Qrow, are you gonna be okay?” Ruby asks and Qrow smiles at her and Yang. He can hear the other pack fall silent trying to listen in to their conversation.

“I’ll be okay, you two don’t need to worry okay?” Qrow says and tries to grab Yang and Ruby as they march over to Clover and look up into his face.

“You are going to treat our Uncle with respect and dignity and if you don’t we’ll let you meet the Nevermore and Deathstalker we killed on our first day of school. Do we have an understanding?” They ask.

“Ha, ha. Kids are such kidders, come on let’s get you back over here,” Qrow says guiding them away from the Ace Ops Pack. 

What are they doing? If they upset the other team they would end up in an even worse position than him.

“I want you two to not make waves. Do not cause problems okay? Promise me that,” Qrow says. He owes it to Summer to keep an eye on her girls.

“Okay, we promise Uncle Qrow,” Ruby says and Qrow relaxes a little and then stands before turning to the rest of the kids.

“You guys look out for each other and keep these two out of trouble. Basically if Yang, Ruby, or Nora would do it, don’t. If Oscar or Ren would do it then yes do it,” Qrow says.

“You keep acting like we won’t be seeing you again. Surely that would not be the case?” Oscar asks looking over at Clover.

“We’re not going to isolate him kids. We’re not going to keep him locked up in our den,” Clover says with a frown.

“I mean did you use omegas as bartering chips. Who even knows what else you would do,” Jaune says.

“Okay kids. Time for you to go to bed!” Qrow says drowning out the rest of the conversation. These kids are gonna get their asses kicked and be the death of him. 

“Penny will show you around,” Ironwood says and a beta with bright orange hair comes.

“Salutations! I am Penny!” she says and goes close to Ruby and Qrow tenses.

“Hi! I’ve never met an omega before. Can we be friends? I don’t have any,” Penny says and Ruby stares at her.

“Penny, please show them to the dorms and find them a couple of empty rooms to sleep in. Mr. Branwen will accompany the Ace Ops to their suite,” Ironwood says and the girl turns to look at Qrow.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Qrow Branwen, Sir.” she says and Qrow doesn’t even have a chance to ask how she knows his first name before she is running off to show the kids to their room. Leaving Qrow to follow Clover and the others to their rooms.

“So, we only have five rooms. I would be happy to take the couch until you are more comfortable,” Clover says. 

“I’ll share the bed if you want. You’re the alpha after all,” Qrow says. He needs to practice what he preaches and not make waves. He can see Clover frown before turning back to the rest of his pack. 

Qrow follows behind them. He watches them and when he gets to the suite he watches as Vine goes into his room. 

“I’ll talk to people about getting you some new clothes. I’ll also see about upgrades to your weapons. It seems like you are a fighter so that means that you’ll probably be interested in joining us on missions. But, if you don’t that’s fine as well. I will leave that decision up to you. For now I believe Vine’s clothes will fit you. I’m sure Elm and I can also lend you clothes to sleep in," Clover says.

'Also known as they want you to be covered in their scent without having to actually scent you yet' Qrow thinks to himself as he nods his consent. He needs the clothes and he has a great idea for an upgrade. A fourth form, he's gonna need materials for that probably time and tools as well. Good thing is, he'll be laid up till his aura recharges and his wound heals. 

He's gonna have to get a letter to Tai. Let him know that the girls are safe. Tell him about this new development, but not where they are. Tai may dislike him, but he's possessive. Qrow is his teammate and the only one allowed to mess with Qrow in Tai's opinion is himself. If Tai were to find out he was bartered into another pack. He'd be down here fast enough to kick everyone's asses. Which would just cause more trouble.

“Thanks, I would appreciate that,” Qrow says and Vine comes back out with several pairs of pants and one of Elm’s shirts. 

“Here, you can have a pair of my sweats to sleep in,” Marrow says handing him a couple pairs of sweats.

“I’ll give you a couple of my shirts when we get into my room,” Clover says and Qrow scrunches his nose but follows him into the room. 

“You can take the shower first. Feel free to use my stuff,” Clover says and Qrow showers quickly using some of the less used products in there before changing into a pair of Marrow's sweats and Elm's shirt.

It's not foolproof but the smell of another alpha and beta, even a packmate, should deter Clover from any funny business during the night. 

Qrow exits the bathroom to find the bed split down the middle with pillows. 

"I didn't want you to feel like I would take advantage. This is so you have the assurance that I will not touch you without consent," Clover says.

"Thanks," Qrow says and he actually means it. It would have been so easy to use Qrow's willingness to put up with everything to get things from him. The knowledge that, at least somewhat, he has the ability to decide his actions is relieving.

Qrow crawls onto his side of the bed. His nose full of the scent of Alpha coming from the sheets, the pillows, and the man himself. It's soothing.

"Goodnight Qrow," Clover says turning off the lights as he climbs into bed.

"Goodnight Clover," Qrow whispers back.

Things are shaping up to be pretty interesting. To say the least. 

Maybe this pack isn't so bad.


	3. Chapter 3

Qrow wakes up early the next morning his face buried in something that smells really good. He cracks an eye open and realizes at some point he pressed himself into the pillow border as tightly as possible and the smell is Clover’s scent on them. He jerks back nearly falling off the bed but manages to catch himself in time.

Clover seems to still be asleep, which is good. Qrow doesn’t want him to know close Qrow got to the pillows. He does not need the alpha getting a swelled head. Qrow quietly slides out of the bed and into the bathroom to shower quickly and quietly before changing into Vine’s clothes. It’s an Ace Ops uniform, the pants are a little long but Qrow fold them up a little. It feels awkward to be in a uniform again. He hasn’t been since he was in school. Even then, Oz had never been a stickler for dress code. He always let Qrow get away with some, frankly, outrageous changes to it. 

He misses Oz. The Alpha had been kind and gentle and so serene and it was nice to just sit near him and let that calmness wash over him. Tai used to joke that Qrow had found a mate, he was just too chicken to do anything about it. But that wasn’t quite what they were. They weren’t mates. Had no desire to be mates. But they were closer than mates. It was Summer who finally put into words what they were. 

Platonic mates.

He’d been there before Oz got married. Been there for the divorce and the second marriage. He was there when Oscar was born and he’d helped get Oscar to safety when Salem had killed Oz and his new wife. 

He’s seen the bodies after. It’s one of those things that’ll haunt him for years to come and it’s the reason that Salem will never get her hands on Oscar. Oscar who sounds more and more like his father everyday. Qrow is pretty sure that wherever Oz is now, he would be proud of his son’s wisdom and maturity. 

Qrow’s body is on autopilot as he makes his way out to the kitchen. He’ll fuel up on coffee and then go in search of materials to improve his weapon. Hopefully he can be out before the others wake up.

“Good morning Qrow,” Clover says from the stove and Qrow is nearly startled into his bird form. How did he get out here? Qrow was sure when he left the shower Clover was still in bed!

“I woke up while you were in the shower. Figured you could use a good meal after so long traveling,” Clover says with a shrug and Qrow sits at the island. So much for getting out of here undetected.

“Thanks,” Qrow says as he hears sounds from each of the other rooms as the others start to wake up. Just great.

“Clover is cooking!” Marrow says running into the room with his shirt only half on. 

“No shoes, no pants, no shirt, no service. Get in line,” Harriet says. 

“Kids these days, no manners,” Elm says.

“I take it you cooking is a treat?” Qrow says.

“I am the only one of us who doesn’t cause an evac due to fire. So yes,” Clover says, “also Qrow gets food first and Marrow and Harriet, figure out who goes next amongst yourselves or you both go last.”

“Qrow...who gets to go next?” Marrow asks.

“I want no part of this. I don’t even get involved in this with my nieces,” Qrow says.

“The omega in the hood and the blonde alpha?” Marrow asks.

“Yes Ruby and Yang,” Qrow says.

“They don’t look related,” Marrow says.

“They seemed...Interesting,” Clover says at the same time.

“Yang takes after her dad. My teammate. Ruby takes after her mom,” Qrow says and there must be something in his scent because they stop asking questions. However he notices Elm shooting looks at him and then growling under her breath and then shaking her head. 

“Don’t mind her. Your clothes still smell like me, and you kinda smell like Clover. The combination is making it smell like Clover scented me as more than a packmate and it’s activating her alpha brain,” Vine says.

“Sorry,” Elm mutters her head in her arms.

“I’ll let you scent me after breakfast,” Vine says rubbing her shoulder.

“Okay but seriously Hare, I was here first,” Marrow says.

“Only because you used your semblance on me!”

“Still fair play,” Marrow says.

“Here you go Qrow,” Clover says putting a plate of eggs, bacon, waffles, and toast in front of him and one across from him giving him a wink and says, “It’s first come first serve!”

He sits down as the rest of them rush to the stove to fight over food.

“So, what are your plans for today?” Clover asks.

“I was hoping I could find some materials to work on my weapon,” Qrow says.

“I could talk to Pietro about letting you down in his lab. I’m sure he’d love the company,” Clover says.

“I’d appreciate that,” Qrow says. If he can get some work on Harbinger, he’ll feel like his forced rest is worth it. He’ll be ready and willing to go as soon as he is able.

“I also thought you’d like to know that Oscar came while you were asleep. He said he was having trouble sleeping and asked if he could have your cape. I figured you would be okay with it so I gave it to him,” Clover says. 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Qrow says. The kid had bonded with him in the absence of his mother. Qrow being the only other omega in his life until he got to meet Ruby. It led to Oscar finding his scent relaxing and Qrow didn’t mind. Oscar was still young after and needed an omega to help him learn how to handle being one. 

“They should be waking up soon to have breakfast. As teachers we have to be in the mess hall to keep an eye on all the kids. So, if you want you could come with us and spend breakfast with them after you eat. Let them know you’re okay and this way you can see that they’re okay as well,” Clover says and Qrow nods and finishes his plate and follows the rest of them down to the mess hall. 

Qrow can tell the minute the students smell him because all the noise dies completely and he can see people glancing at him. Qrow ignores them and he easily finds the kids table by scent.

“Hey Pipsqueaks. Good to know you listened to me for once and didn’t get into any trouble,” Qrow says.

“Hello Mr. Qrow Branwen, Sir,” Penny says from where she’s sitting next to Ruby.

Interesting.

“Yeah, Oscar ran interference. He wouldn’t let us out of the room unless Ren, himself, or Jaune was with us,” Yang says.

“Good work Kid,” Qrow says ruffling his hair and Oscar grins.

“Are you kids doing okay?” Qrow asks them.

“Yeah. Nothing bad happened at all and they don’t try to treat us like the students either,” Yang says.

“Are you doing okay?” Ruby asks.

“Yes, they seem like okay people,” Qrow says, better than the tribe at least.

“If you see my father today please tell him that I will come visit him soon,” Penny says.

“Your father?”

“Dr. Polendina. He does all the weapons upgrades. I was listening when Clover made the call in the hall. He said you would be joining him to work on your weapon,” she says.

“You could come with me,” Qrow says. She seems young and more open with her answers and it would give him a chance to get perfectly straight answers. Something he isn’t likely to get from Clover.

“I can’t. I have to run my patrol of mantle and make sure the Grimm don’t get into Mantle. At least until we can get the border wall fixed,” Penny says.

“Wow? You get to go on missions and patrols? But you’re our age, aren't you supposed to still be in school?” Ruby asks.

“No. Real life experience has made it so that I was capable of graduating as soon as I entered,” Penny says and Qrow wonders how similar their stories are because he and Raven would have been able to do the same if the whole point had not been to learn from Huntsmen. 

“That’s so cool. You’re already a full Huntress,” Ruby says.

“From what you’ve been telling me, you all have done enough to be considered fully licensed huntsmen as well,” Penny says and Ruby blushes. 

It’s then that Qrow realizes Oscar has vanished from his seat. 

“Did Oscar say where he was going?” Qrow asks.

“To get more food,” Ren says.

“Oh okay,” Qrow says and looks around. He can see Oscar off in a corner talking to Clover. 

Qrow does a double take and makes sure he saw what he thinks he saw. Once he’s sure he starts making his way over to them.

“Don’t hurt Qrow,” he hears Oscar say.

“I’m not going to.”

“I know how some omegas can be treated. Qrow’s taught me the signs of mistreatment. If I see a single one of them I will make what Salem did at Beacon look like a child’s daydream. I have nothing to lose if you hurt any of my pack. You have everything to lose.” 

“Qrow must be something special to inspire this sort of loyalty in a pup. Are you his?” Clover says.

“You’re right. Qrow is special, to us, his pack. No, I am not his pup in blood or name. But he has done about as much for me as any parent would. Has saved my life, taught me to fight, helped me understand my designation and has kept me as safe as any parent would. If my parents were alive I believe they would have no qualms about me referring to Qrow as my parent. So, you could say I am his pup. Which gives me even more incentive to protect him,” Oscar says and Qrow has to sit down. 

Oscar thinks of him as a third parent. 

Qrow had long since given up on Pups. His semblance makes pups impossible. Then Tai had gotten pregnant and had Yang and Qrow was happy to live vicariously through him and Raven. 

Then Raven left and Qrow had forced himself to be with Tai through the pain and anger. Allowed Tai to yell at him in Raven’s place because neither of them knew where she had gone. Then Tai and Summer got together and had Ruby and Qrow was happy with his pack of five. 

Then Summer died and Tai needed the support and Qrow never thought of finding a mate of his own or having pups of his own. Yang and Ruby were enough to fill that gap.

Then Oz and his wife had Oscar and Qrow had another pup to babysit and things were good. Qrow had never dreamed that Oscar would come to view him as a parent, but he’s not going to complain. 

Qrow makes it back to his seat long before Oscar does and when Oscar finally comes back from his trip to threaten Clover, Qrow asks for his jacket saying he wants to make an improvement to it because his isn’t designed for the cold of Atlas while everyone else is or has experience with projected aura.

Clover shows him down to where Pietro, a gentle fatherly type of man, works and the first thing Qrow does is sew one of his capes into the lining of Oscar’s jacket. It’s one Qrow’s worn for years so the scent is pretty much there to stay. Whether Oscar will realize the addition he doesn’t know but he does know it will ensure that the kid is calmer and able to sleep better.

Then he works on his weapon, adding the mechanics to turn it into a tonfa. With a few suggestions from Pietro on how to make the transitions smoother and less noisy. 

Turns out Pietro is in charge of making their new combat gear and even asks Qrow for input since he knows everyone best. 

Qrow tries his best and when it’s his turn he only asks for one thing. For the pattern on the handle of Oz’s cane to be put on his sleeves to honor his fallen friend and his new son.

When he returns to his room he finds his clothes on the bed and his own shower products set up along the side of the tub and he has to admit Clover isn’t the worst alpha he could have. That would definitely belong to the alphas in the tribe. Before Raven made them a little better after she took over.

Those years were the worst of his life and he’s glad that he will never have to go back and that Yang never grew up near or in the tribe.

He sits on the bed for a minute but he immediately falls asleep. 

He must have pushed himself too hard.


	4. Chapter 4

When Qrow wakes up he can hear yelling from the common room, a lot of it. But it doesn’t sound angry. Qrow gets off the bed and goes into the common room to find the kids all gathered inside with the Ace Ops, Penny, and Ironwood. 

“What’s going on?” Qrow asks wiping the sleep from his eyes and he doesn’t know if this is bad or good but he’s hoping that it’s good because he just doesn’t want to have to deal with any trouble. 

“Uncle Qrow! General Ironwood says that once we’ve recovered and gotten our weapons back we can start going on missions around Atlas! He also said that when the doctor clears you, you can join us!” Ruby says. 

“You’re going to go out on missions by yourselves?” Qrow asks anxiously. It’s not that he doesn’t trust them or not believe in their abilities but he would prefer am older huntsman to be with them. One who knows the land and the dangers that come with them. In school there are several classes on the terrain and geography of each kingdom and town and how to prepare for missions in each. But those are taught to older students closer to getting their licences. Not first years who had to learn through a trial by fire. That's how the Tribe did things and nothing the Tribe ever did was healthy or safe.

"A member of either the Ace Ops or one of my special operatives will go with them to ensure that they are safe, but will only supervise unless needed, until you can return to the field.

"And of course we are all available for training anytime you want. You're connected to our pack now, that makes you one of us," Clover says. 

“We’ll take you up on that,” Yang says and Qrow smiles.

“I don’t know about anyone else but I could stand to work off a little energy,” Elm says and Qrow sees Ruby grinning. 

“Elm…”

“I’ll go a round with you,” Yang says.

“You know what? I could do with some light training as well,” Harriet says.

“Trust me, no training with those two is light,” Qrow says chuckling a little.

“We’re not that bad! We did apologize for the lake thing...and the wall thing,” Ruby says.

“There’s a story there and I really want to hear it,” Nora says.

“No, you really don’t. It was a mess,” Oscar says and Qrow cracks a smile. He’d been babysitting for Oz so he and his wife could go on a date. Oscar and Ruby had been working on hand to hand when she had unlocked her semblance and sent Qrow into the lake they were near and don’t get him started about the time he refused to let Yang skip her haircut appointment that one time.

“Yeah, it kinda was. But it was funny seeing Uncle Qrow in Dad’s clothes,” Ruby says giggling and Qrow finds himself smiling slightly and he ruffles her hair and he can see that Harriet isn’t going to take the warning. 

“Okay so is it just going to be Elm and me against Ruby and Yang?” Harriet asks, crossing her arms as Elm elbows Vine who sighs. 

“I will train as well. It is an excellent way to increase bonding among packs,” Vine says. 

“Sounds fun, I’m always down to show off my skills,” Marrow says and Blake rolls her eyes.

“I’m in,” Blake says.

“I suppose,” Weiss says caving to Ruby’s pouty face. 

“I’ll stick to the sidelines and watch. It should be interesting to see what the four of you can do. You’re all from different areas of Remnant, have had different experiences and have different skills and you have all shared experiences with one another that make you stronger. Those sorts of experiences make you better huntsmen,” Clover says and Qrow has to disagree. Not manner of shared experiences had been enough to save their team when Tai was told about the tribe and Raven left. Things were never quite the same until he married Summer. Then they went back to the same thing when she died.

“I don’t think that it’s that we have shared experiences. No offense but you guys seemed like you formed because you were the best or the strongest and fight well together and you trust each other. We care about each other. We trust each other because we are friends. Because we are family. We fight well because we wouldn’t be losing a teammate, we fight well because we will be losing our sisters, our brothers, our friends, and in some cases lovers. We fight to win because we can’t afford to lose anyone else,” Oscar says and Qrow smiles softly the kid inherited Oz’s skills at speaking. Oz would be proud. Qrow certainly is. 

They go down to the training room and Qrow watches Jaune and his team go over to the sparring area and Qrow sits with Clover and Oscar. Oscar gives a look at Clover before laying back on the bench to rest and watch the match. Qrow immediately puts a hand on his head to comfort him as he watches the kids warm up as the Ace Ops prep themselves.

Qrow must have underestimated how tired he is because he finds himself drifting off to sleep. He keeps jerking himself awake so he can watch the kids but he’s exhausted and low of aura and there is the familiar scent of Oscar in his nose and a new smell he can’t recognize in his half asleep state.

It’s nice. Qrow likes it.


	5. Update

Hey everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long since you heard from me. School went to hell and I had to deal with a lot of stuff. Was betrayed by some people lost all my friends and had to make new ones. So yeah it's been pretty rough. I only just got my motivation back to write and I'm not sure if I want to take this fic any further. Rereading this fic over really got the brain jumping again but I'm not sure if I'm down for the commitment.

So for now I'm putting this on temporary hiatus. I need to think some more about what I want to do.

BUT ALL IS NOT LOST!!!!

The amaizing madamoiselle_sica has taken over writing their own version of the fic picking up where this one left off.

I read the first installment and frankly it's better than anything I could write outside of me true main fandoms. 

It's an incredible honor to know that my fic inspired someone. You have no idea. So, you guys should totally check it out. I for one am excited to see where it goes and can't wait. (You have no idea I almost cried when I was asked.) 

I've linked it down below and I hope that you guys show them all the love this fandom has! 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25771138

Love you guys <3


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